Our hair doesn’t lie. It cannot hide if it’s taken care or not. Healthy hair is the reflection of a healthy body. And water is essential for hair health.

There are many ways in which water affects our hair:

1. CELL GROWTH

Water is a very important component of cell growth and overall health of the body. Hair is made up of dead cells, but hair follicles are alive. So if your body experiences dehydration, cell growth gets affected and this will cause dryness not only in skin but also in hair.

2. HAIR THICKNESS

If cells are affected you will start experiencing thinning of hair. This is the sign that your body is not in its best condition. So it’s very essential to drink water.

3. HOT SHOWER

A hot shower is for our skin and hair. Though it relaxes and comforts you, it opens the pores of your hair causing it to become brittle and frizzy, which causes dryness of hair and scalp. Roots become weaker and this leads to hairfall and breakage.

4. COLD WATER

Cold water doesn’t open up the pores, but it doesn’t clean your hair properly. It cannot remove grease and oil and makes hair look flat.

5.LUKEWARM WATER

Ideally we should use a mixture of hot and cold water to shampoo hair and rinse out the conditioner with room temperature water or cold water. It keeps hair moist, doesn’t open the pores and keeps the scalp and hair clean.

The columnist creates a range of hairstyles at Ishrat’s Hair & Skin Studio, Lord Sinha Road, Calcutta. Contact @ishratansar